diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index de63f97d069611fbb55f980f57a2b5a25c7e2a3e..ab26416ab3ce815a5da558ddcfffe3ed39eb0719 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -11,14 +11,15 @@ variables:
   ## Spack github version, e.g. v0.18.1 or commit hash
   SPACK_VERSION: "v0.18.1"
   ## Space-separated list of spack cherry-picks
-  SPACK_CHERRYPICKS: "adc9f887eac78a81bb8189d603f4dc45ed3509c1 5bd44a795c76a61f0f9fbfeedcf7e917a0bf40b0 afc044cbad5eb8c5ffd6efe364fb740a08623842"
+  SPACK_CHERRYPICKS: "adc9f887eac78a81bb8189d603f4dc45ed3509c1 5bd44a795c76a61f0f9fbfeedcf7e917a0bf40b0 afc044cbad5eb8c5ffd6efe364fb740a08623842 8bdc5065792c185be9934ab0c2a5b087b8845bd1"
   ## Ref: https://github.com/spack/spack/commit/[hash]
   ## adc9f887eac78a81bb8189d603f4dc45ed3509c1: acts-dd4hep: new package; acts: new version
   ## 5bd44a795c76a61f0f9fbfeedcf7e917a0bf40b0: lcio, podio, edm4hep: add latest versions
   ## afc044cbad5eb8c5ffd6efe364fb740a08623842: dd4hep: add v1.21
+  ## 8bdc5065792c185be9934ab0c2a5b087b8845bd1: emacs: Add option to install version 28.1
 
   ## Spack github version, e.g. v0.18 branch, v0.18.1 tag, or commit hash
-  EICSPACK_VERSION: "v0.18.7"
+  EICSPACK_VERSION: "v0.18.11"
   ## Space-separated list of eic-spack cherry-picks
   EICSPACK_CHERRYPICKS: "" 
 
diff --git a/containers/debian/base.Dockerfile b/containers/debian/base.Dockerfile
index a0228889c71aafe09ddf2f49a50fe21a4b4fc5f7..10f365ab11ef8477a8d60053249219c6dd019111 100644
--- a/containers/debian/base.Dockerfile
+++ b/containers/debian/base.Dockerfile
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # Minimal container based on Debian Testing for up-to-date packages. 
 # Very lightweight container with a minimal build environment
 
-FROM  amd64/debian:testing-20211220-slim
+FROM  amd64/debian:testing-20220822-slim
 LABEL maintainer="Sylvester Joosten <sjoosten@anl.gov>" \
       name="debian_base" \
       march="amd64"
@@ -17,27 +17,27 @@ ENV CLICOLOR_FORCE=1                                                    \
 
 ## Install additional packages. Remove the auto-cleanup functionality
 ## for docker, as we're using the new buildkit cache instead.
-## We also install gitlab-runner, from the bullseye package (as bookworm is not available atm)
-## TODO: libyaml-cpp-dev is a dependency for afterburner. We can probably remove
-##       this once afterburner is added to spack
+## We also install gitlab-runner for most recent supported debian:
+## bullseye per https://docs.gitlab.com/runner/install/linux-repository.html
 RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/var/cache/apt                            \
+    --mount=type=cache,target=/var/lib/apt/lists                        \
     rm -f /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/docker-clean                              \
  && ln -fs /usr/share/zoneinfo/America/New_York /etc/localtime          \
  && echo "US/Eastern" > /etc/timezone                                   \
  && apt-get -yqq update                                                 \
- && apt-get -yqq upgrade                                                \
  && apt-get -yqq install --no-install-recommends                        \
         bc                                                              \
         ca-certificates                                                 \
+        ccache                                                          \
         clang-format                                                    \
         clang-tidy                                                      \
         curl                                                            \
         file                                                            \
         build-essential                                                 \
-        g++-11                                                          \
-        gcc-11                                                          \
+        g++-12                                                          \
+        gcc-12                                                          \
         gdb                                                             \
-        gfortran-11                                                     \
+        gfortran-12                                                     \
         ghostscript                                                     \
         git                                                             \
         gnupg2                                                          \
@@ -62,11 +62,12 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/var/cache/apt                            \
         vim-nox                                                         \
         wget                                                            \
  && localedef -i en_US -f UTF-8 en_US.UTF-8                             \
- && update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-11 100  \
- && update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-11 100  \
+ && update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gcc gcc /usr/bin/gcc-12 100  \
+ && update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/g++ g++ /usr/bin/g++-12 100  \
  && update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/gfortran gfortran            \
-                                  /usr/bin/gfortran-11 100              \
+                                  /usr/bin/gfortran-12 100              \
  && gcc --version                                                       \
+ && export VERSION_ID=11                                                \
  && curl -L                                                             \
     "https://packages.gitlab.com/install/repositories/runner/gitlab-runner/script.deb.sh" \
     | bash                                                              \
@@ -75,6 +76,4 @@ RUN --mount=type=cache,target=/var/cache/apt                            \
  && apt-get -yqq update                                                 \
  && apt-get -yqq install --no-install-recommends                        \
         gitlab-runner                                                   \
- && apt-get -yqq autoremove                                             \
- && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*                                         
-
+ && apt-get -yqq autoremove
diff --git a/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile b/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
index 6387fdb5099a24b79dec4d15033f8e052975e431..dda45ac10eae6549e6ef64f4a9eace1809a2a621 100644
--- a/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
+++ b/containers/jug/xl.Dockerfile
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ ADD ${EICWEB}/18/repository/tree?ref=${NPDET_VERSION} /tmp/18.json
 RUN cd /tmp                                                                     \
  && echo " - jug_xl: ${JUG_VERSION}" >> /etc/jug_info                           \
  && echo "INSTALLING NPDET"                                                     \
+ && git config --global http.version HTTP/1.1                                   \
  && git clone -b ${NPDET_VERSION} --depth 1                                     \
         https://eicweb.phy.anl.gov/EIC/NPDet.git                                \
  && cmake -B build -S NPDet -DCMAKE_CXX_STANDARD=17                             \
diff --git a/spack.yaml b/spack.yaml
index 7df2fff84e96ac34d160fbb452f920c64f9a8b08..0b36e8c6a58e4a35ad6acfc4b3168736dee3a3b6 100644
--- a/spack.yaml
+++ b/spack.yaml
@@ -11,16 +11,16 @@ spack:
     - dd4hep@1.21 +ddg4 -ddcad +hepmc3 +ipo +lcio
     - edm4hep@0.6 cxxstd=17 -ipo
     - eigen@3.4.0
-    - emacs@27.2 toolkit=athena
+    - emacs@28.1
     - fastjet@3.3.4
     - fmt@8.1.1 +shared cxxstd=17
-    - gaudi@36.5 +optional
+    - gaudi@36.7 +optional
     - geant4@10.7.3 cxxstd=17 +opengl +vecgeom +x11 +qt +threads
     - genfit@2.00.00
     - hepmc3@3.2.4 +python +rootio 
     - heppdt@2.06.01
     - igprof@5.9.16
-    - imagemagick@7.0.8-7
+    #- imagemagick@7.0.8-7
     - jana2@2.0.7 +root +zmq
     - madx@5.08.01
     - mesa@22.0.2 +glx -llvm +opengl +opengles +osmesa
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ spack:
     - py-numpy@1.22.3
     - py-pip@21.3.1
     - qt@5.15.4 +opengl
-    - root@6.26.02 cxxstd=17 
+    - root@6.26.06 cxxstd=17 
           +fftw +fortran +gdml +http +mlp +pythia8 
           +root7 +tmva +vc +xrootd +ssl 
     - spdlog@1.9.2